The present invention relates to digital mixers for performing centralized control of audio equipment in sites where live concerts, live broadcasting, etc. are carried out.
The conventional mixers used in live concerts, live broadcasting, etc. are capable of mixing and outputting not only main sounds to be listened to by an audience but also motoring sounds to be supplied to individual performers. In a live concert, for example, the mixer mixes a plurality of performed sounds for the audience to output the mixed sounds to main speakers provided for the audience, but also mixes the same performed sounds for the individual performers to output the mixed results to monitoring speakers provided for the performers. Generally, the performed sounds to be included in the monitoring sounds and the performed sounds to be not included in the monitoring sounds normally differ between the individual performers. Therefore, for each of buses mixing the performed sounds for the performers, it has been conventional for a human operator of the mixer to make confirmation and necessary setting as to whether or not the performed sounds from individual input channels are to be input to that bus. For the confirmation and setting, the human operator calls a dedicated setting screen for each of the buses mixing the performed sounds for the performers.
For example, AUX (auxiliary) buses or the like are used to perform the mixing for the individual performers. Using the AUX-bus-specific dedicated setting screens as mentioned above, the human operator can set from which input channels and to which AUX buses performed sounds should be sent or delivered. AUX selecting switches are provided in corresponding relation to the AUX buses, for selecting any one of the AUX buses, i.e. for calling the setting screen of any one of the AUX buses. Namely, from which input channels performed sounds are to be sent to the buses (e.g., AUX buses) that mix the performer-by-performer monitoring sounds can be confirmed and set only via the respective dedicated screens of the buses, and such confirming and setting operation tends to be a very complicated one requiring considerable amounts of time and labor.
In the case where the AUX buses are used as the monitoring buses for the individual performers, send (or delivery) levels of signals to be delivered from the individual input channels to a given one of the AUX buses are set in accordance with a request of the performer listening to the monitoring sounds. It has been conventional to set the signal send levels, for example, by placing the AUX bus, to be used for the monitoring, in a selectable state, placing various setting items, related to the AUX bus, in a state settable via operators, such as faders and rotary encoders, provided on an operation panel and then appropriately manipulating these operators. The signal send levels can also be set on a predetermined separate screen that is displayed for making various settings related to the AUX bus. Also, it has been conventional to set sound signal levels of the individual input channels for mixing of the performer-by-performer monitoring sounds, independently of mixing of the main sounds for the audience. Namely, the human operator has to make all settings for the mixing of the performer-by-performer monitoring sounds from scratch (from nothing), independently of the mixing of the main sounds for the audience.